‘We weren’t included. There are arguments in terms of what their process was, why they did it,’ USC athletic director Lynn Swann said of the Trojans’ NCAA Tournament snub. ‘We had 23 wins. We are the most successful team not to make it to the NCAA Tournament. It’s just hard to understand.’ (The Associated Press)

LOS ANGELES — USC athletic director Lynn Swann said Tuesday he was in “shock” after the Trojans were not selected as one of 36 at-large teams for the NCAA Tournament.

The Trojans, who finished in second place in the Pac-12 Conference with a 23-11 overall record, were among the first four teams left out of the 68-team field by the NCAA selection committee when the bracket was revealed Sunday.

“The unfortunate part is they made their choices,” Swann said. “We weren’t included. There are arguments in terms of what their process was, why they did it. We had 23 wins. We are the most successful team not to make it to the NCAA Tournament. It’s just hard to understand.”

With a ranking of No. 34 in the Ratings Percentage Index, the Trojans, considered one of the biggest snubs in recent seasons, were the highest-ranked major conference team ever to have missed the tournament since it expanded to 68 teams in 2011. Missouri, with an RPI of No. 49 in 2014, was previously the highest-ranked major conference team not to have been selected.

Swann spoke with reporters at the Galen Center prior to USC’s first-round game of the National Invitational Tournament against UNC Asheville. The Trojans are one of four top seeds in the 32-team bracket, appearing in the postseason tournament for the first time since 1999.

Following USC’s run to the Pac-12 Tournament final against Arizona in Las Vegas, where it suffered a 75-61 defeat to the Wildcats, Swann said “all of us at USC were very confident that they earned their way” into the NCAA Tournament, noting the team led by three points at halftime, which was “another strong indication” they belonged in the tournament.

USC had made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under Coach Andy Enfield and last season advanced to the round of 32 after a victory over Providence in a play-in game.

It would have been just the second time in program history that USC advanced to the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons.

Enfield on Sunday said he was also “in shock” over the snub. The team had expected to be in the tournament and held a viewing party in a banquet room at the Galen Center.

“The difficult part about this process,” Swann said, “is once they select, there is no time to have a counter opinion, to have a voice in trying to create change. It’s done. The tournament is set on Sunday. Here we are on Tuesday night playing in the NIT. The important thing is to focus on what’s in front of us, which is an opportunity for a lot of folks to play and win another game.”

USC’s second-place finish in the Pac-12 was its highest since 2002, though a factor that was not weighed by the selection committee, which does not evaluate teams’ place of finish in their conferences.

Asked if the criteria should be revised to include the order of finish in conference, Swann said, “I think it should have some bearing on what you do, especially when you’re picking teams that come in further down the line in your own conference. That does say something about consistency in the latter half of the season and how you’re playing.”

Arizona State, which finished ninth in the Pac-12, was one of the three Pac-12 teams to make the field. The Sun Devils were 12-0 during their nonconference schedule, defeating NCAA top seeds Kansas and Xavier in December and November.

Swann declined to speculate if USC’s connection to the FBI investigation into bribery and corruption in college basketball might have hurt its chances.

Joey Kaufman is the USC beat writer for the Southern California News Group. Since joining the Orange County Register in 2015, he has also covered Major League Baseball and UCLA athletics. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors and Football Writers Association of America. Kaufman grew up in beautiful downtown Burbank.